Board of Directors

Nathan Schema serves as president and CEO of The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, leading the nation’s largest non-profit provider of senior care and services. He oversees the development and execution of organizational priorities, and in partnership with Sanford Health leadership, works to advance the integrated health care system.

Schema’s longstanding career with the Society began in 2006 as an administrator-in-training in Mountain Lake, Minnesota. He was a nursing home administrator at multiple Society locations, and also held positions as associate director of operations, regional executive director of operations and vice president of operations.

His extensive experience positions Schema to be an authoritative advocate for seniors and the health care heroes who care for them. He believes all seniors deserve access to high-quality care, no matter where they live. With 70 percent of the Society’s residents living in rural communities, Schema is committed to reducing rural access disparities. He champions opportunities to transform how and where senior care is delivered through the Society’s integration with Sanford Health.

In January 2022, Schema was elected to the board of governors for the American Health Care Association, the nation’s largest association of long-term and post-acute care providers. He also serves on the post-acute strategy steering committee for the American Hospital Association.

Schema is passionate about supporting and developing the next generation of health care leaders and caregivers, who will be instrumental in shaping the future of senior care.

A native of Faribault, Minnesota, Schema holds a bachelor’s degree in health care administration from Concordia College (Minnesota) and a Master of Business Administration from Bellevue University.

Schema lives in Sioux Falls with his wife, Alex, and their two sons.

Matt Hocks serves as Sanford Health’s Chief Operating Officer. Matt is responsible for successful planning and implementation of operational and strategic goals.

Matt Hocks graduated from The University of South Dakota in 2002 with a Masters of Business Administration and a Specialization in Health Services Administration. He joined Sanford in 2004 and has held various department directors of clinic operations and Vice President Positions before assuming the Chief Operating Office role in 2019.

Matt and his wife Rachel live in Sioux Falls and have three children.